


Narry On Ice

by winglesswarrior



Category: One Direction (Band), The Cutting Edge (1992)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2021-01-30 12:15:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21428068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winglesswarrior/pseuds/winglesswarrior
Summary: Remember The Cutting Edge? That but, well, 1D. The AU no one asked for.
Relationships: Liam Payne/Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan/Harry Styles
Comments: 5
Kudos: 38





	Narry On Ice

**Author's Note:**

> A fic war! posting three starts of fics to see which is most liked and we'll see where we go from here.

“Neil!”

Niall blinked back into focus, looking at Louis. Louis in a pair of sweats and a pullover with their team’s logo on it. He was leaning on his stick, giving Niall that half annoyed, half fond look he did when Niall got lost in his own head. “You weren’t listening. Or watching.” 

“Right, sorry,” Niall said, shaking his head and going back to a squatting position. Louis wasn’t dressed out but Niall was in a lighter version of his goalie pads, stick and gloves. He adjusted the helmet then squatted again. “Come on. Try again,” he said, ignoring the way his knees ached with the movement. 

“I’m not really trying,” Louis called, sliding the puck back and forth between his stick with an idle ease that came with playing the same game for most of his life. 

“Then try,” Niall shouted back, trying to get his friend to help out here, but Niall could tell Louis was hesitating. He was always hesitating lately. It wasn’t a surprise, but that it was a thing annoyed Niall. He smacked his stick on the ice, waiting on Louis to take the shot. 

“Couldn’t we just go get a beer?” Louis called, leaning on his stick again. “You did PT this morning. This isn’t going to help.” 

Actually, he’d been told not to what he was doing but Niall was tired of sitting on the bench. Tired of feeling like the damage done to his knees was never going to heal. He yanked the helmet back so he could see Louis better. “A beer? Really?” 

Louis shrugged. “It’s the off season. No one has to know that I’m supplementing my training with a pint or four.” Someone would know though. Niall and Louis out tended to attract attention. Just like the attention they had now, a few people sitting in the stands outside the rink, including a guy with his hair pulled back in a weird headband thing who kept looking at his watch. “We’re almost out of time anyway. And if we’re here and not the team facility, then you’re not supposed to be playing.” Louis was frustrating when he decided to be smart and observant. 

Niall huffed and dropped his stick, pulling off his gloves. “Fine. _Fine._ But you’re paying.” 

“Ah yes, because buying the only openly gay guy in the league a beer is going to do wonders for my reputation,” Louis tutted, grabbing the puck and their bag of gear. 

“Like your reputation isn’t already a thing of scandal,” Niall countered, sticking his tongue out at Louis. Niall might be out, involuntarily, but Louis was the stuff of legends. He was seen with just about everyone and honestly, no one could tie a sexuality or a lover to him. Just that there was always a string of people who were happy to be at his side. 

“You win for scandals.” Louis said it gently though, a soft reminder of what had happened.

The whole thing had been stupid. Dating that swimmer from the Olympic team, but he’d been so handsome that Niall had broken a few of his rules just to go out with the guy. It had been stupid to let him drive that night, to not take the keys or suggest they get a cab, but Niall hadn’t been in any better shape than his boyfriend. 

The accident had finished off the damage years of squatting as a goalie had already done to his knees. A public admission of his mistakes, an unintentional coming out, two surgeries and a stack of physical training waiting on him all right before the start of a new season. He’d been benched for the past season, re-learning how to use his body, and the hope was he could get better through the off season, but with the new season looming, he wasn’t sure if his spot was still there for him. Proper training started up again at the end of the week and the decision would be made then. 

Niall felt like he was wasting away, but Louis was right. He was already aching and he’d have to ice his knees if he thought he was going to make it through his training tomorrow. He grabbed the last of his things, dragging the goal with him as he and Louis abandoned the ice. Headband guy had moved down the bleachers and was pulling on his skates. They were the kind that proper skaters used, the dancers as they liked to call themselves. 

He wasn’t alone though, another guy had joined him, curls damp from a shower or something, one unruly one falling down his forehead. He wasn't putting on skates like his pal, but nudging him in the back. “Hey,” new guy said, but he wasn't looking at Niall. His eyes were locked on Louis, smile almost shy. A fan. Niall was used to seeing that from hanging out with Louis. 

Louis flashed a grin and waved, like it was nothing. Superman Curl Guy blushed and waved back, but Headband Guy, he was less impressed. He just glared at both Niall and Louis with disdain. Skaters hated hockey players. It made sense. It wasn't the first time. 

\-------

Liam smacked Harry on the back grinning. “That was really him.” 

Harry rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Sure is. And he and his idiot friend cut into my rink time by ten minutes.” Harry tugged at his laces and slipped out of his jacket. “I still don't get why you care.” 

“Because it's Louis. Tomlinson. He's a big deal.” Liam was still grinning. 

“That's why I texted you. I knew you wanted to see if you were still here.” Harry might hate hockey players and those two in particular today, but he was a good friend. He had to tell Liam. He knew Liam was a fan. “Still don’t see why he’s a big deal, but that’s your choice.” 

Liam sighed and shook his head. “They’re not that different from us,” he pointed out, but seemed ready for the glare that Harry shot him. 

“They’re completely different!” 

“How so?” They’d had this argument before, but Liam always liked to counter, to see if he could get Harry to change his mind. 

“Because,” Harry said, yanking at the last of his laces and pushing off the bench to head onto the ice. “They took up my rink time!” He called it out before he skated away though he could still see Liam roll his eyes and shift to a new spot, leaning on the edge of the barrier around the rink, watching Harry skate. 

“Your coach isn’t even here!” 

Harry knew that was right too, but his coach wasn’t coming. He was just own his own today, going through routines, trying to put together what he wanted to set up for the next year. His coach would obviously lay out the final details, but Harry liked having a say in things. It made him feel like he has some semblance of control over his destiny. 

Even with Liam there, Harry warmed up for a few minutes, going back and forth around the ice, figure eights and turns, before coming around another edge and trying for an easy jump. Nothing fancy, just a warm up one he was comfortable with. 

“Dropped your knees too much, you giraffe,” Liam called, who earned himself another scowl. “Just trying to help.” Even from across the rink, Harry could see the flush on Liam’s cheeks. He’d been training at the center earlier, and if his hair was any indicator, he’d rushed out of the showers to see Louis in person when Harry had texted. He didn’t need to still be there, but he was there for Harry, supporting his friend because that was what they did. They might compete on the ice, but off it, they were still best friends. Harry skated back around and slowed to where Liam was, leaning against the wall near him.

“Go home. You don’t have to stay,” he reminded him, but Liam just shrugged and made a face like he was settling in.

“Want me to set up the music or are you just running drills?” 

Harry huffed a sigh and shook his head. “Just drills. Give me a sec to warm up before you start throwing out advice.” 

Liam grinned in his way, lighting up everything around him and nodded. “Go on then,” he waved leaning back in his spot and waving for Harry to get a move on. Harry rolled his eyes, but appreciated the company. Skating had always been an isolating sport for him, just him and at most a coach. It was nice to have someone else there, even if it was just to watch.


End file.
